Alan Peters, a 17-year-old apprentice professional striker is standing by to make his debut for Aston Villa in their third round FA Cup tie at Southampton tomorrow.

Peters, from Newport in Wales, is included in the party for the first time and may be tossed into such an important game if Andy Gray, Villa’s Scottish international striker, fails a fitness test on his injured ankle.

As Villa are taking only 13 players to the south coast today Peters is assured at least of a place as substitute if Gray should break down. The 20 year-old Scot did his first full morning’s training of the week yesterday but Villa manager Ron Saunders’s record proves he will have no qualms about putting the young Welshman in the team if Gray is unfit.

Should Peters play he would share the central striking duties with John Deehan. who is only a year older than him and has seized his chance this season with five goals in his first nine games.

Saunders has also given first team opportunities to many other young players including Steve Hunt and Frank Pimblett.

Excited

Not surprisingly Peters is excited at being so close to the first team “I didn’t expect to get in the party for a while.” he said “It’s happened much more quickly than I thought.”

He has been at Villa for less than a year joining them last Easter after leaving school. He was 17 in October

Like most youngsters in Wales he faced a choice between soccer and rugby turning down a chance to play for the Welsh Under 15 rugby team in order to play for the Under 15 soccer team.

“I played for the Newport and Gwent schoolboy rugby side but I didn’t want to go for a trial with Wales, although I was offered one I preferred to play soccer.” he said.


*Birmingham Daily Post*
Friday, 2 January 1976

Mortimer out

Villa will he forced into at least one change because Dennis Mortimer, their £175.000 buy from Coventry, did not sign in time to play in the third round of the Cup.

The qualification period is at least two weeks, so Leighton Phillips, the Welsh international, returns and once again the pressure is on the midfield players to regain their places.


*Birmingham Daily Post*
Monday, 5 January 1976

Villa shut up shop —and are robbed by Saints By DAVID DAVIES

Aston Villa armed themselves with all the right attitudes for three-quarters of this match and never looked likely to do less than win handsomely. But most sides leading 1-0 with ten minutes to go, away in the Cup, suffer Pavlovian reflexes and Villa were no exception. They closed the game down, tried simply to survive Instead of continuing to run Southampton ragged, and paid for it.

After 89 minutes 45 seconds of normal time the Saints got the goal that brings them to Villa Park on Wednesday evening for a replay which, on Saturday’s showing they have little chance of winning.

Southampton had nothing to compare with the understanding of Gidman and Graydon have worked out and a comparison between Chris Nicholl and Jim Steele, who were both trying to do the same job, is odious indeed.

Steele seemed constitutionally incapable of making contact with the ball before first colliding with his opponent and why a man who gives away so many free kicks is deemed a necessary part of the side is beyond me.

Nicholl, on the other hand, gave Mike Channon one of his leanest afternoons, and was mostly within the rules as well. He and lan Ross cleaned up most of what there was of Southampton’s attack.

If Southampton had expected a massed defence from Villa they were quickly disabused when Nicholl joined an early attack, headed towards goal and saw Graydon complete the process with a neat back header. A foul was given, however, and Saints escaped, as they did a little later when a Nicholl header hit the post.

Southampton launched one of their rare, effective attacks midway through the second half when Gilchrist and Fisher combined to get Channon past Nicholl. The shot was fierce, swerving from left to right and Burridge could not hold the ball. Robson came to the rescue but was fouled in getting the ball away.

From the free-kick Villa went straight to the other end there they were awarded another.

Once again Nicholl was there in the area, causing chaos and confusion a la Jack Charlton, and eventually the ball was deposited at Andy Gray’s feet. A simple stab gave him the goal.

It was now plainly Villa’s match, a fact recognised by a few morons at the Southampton end who tried to organise an invasion of the pitch, and it is ironic that the only thing they would have prevented was Southampton’s equaliser.

An innocuous looking attack was suddenly enlivened by a superb square pass across the penalty area by Channon and Fisher drove the ball home hard into the right hand corner.